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I have been in receipt of some mail from my readers asking for my comments on the reports carried by the "Washington Post" and the CNN TV channel of the US during the week-end regarding the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the USA setting up a new intelligence collection unit called the Strategic Support Branch (SSB), which has been operating in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries since 2002.

The exasperation of Porter Goss, the Director of the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with Pakistan's role in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other remnants of the Al Qaeda, is evident from his remarks on bin Laden during an interview with the "Time" magazine which has been carried by it this week

In generations to come, India will no doubt produce finer minds; but it is unlikely to give us a bigger heart. More than his achievements as a missile and defence technologist, beyond governmental accomplishments and far removed from the prizes and honours he received, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam touched human lives.

Privatised electricity distribution in Delhi completed ten years last June. Now an important question which we have to ask time and again is, why should the citizens pay for the inefficiency of the distribution companies? This is yet another public service that has become a score point for political parties, giving no relief to the ordinary citizen.

At a conference on "Civil Society and Nuclear Weapons Policy", organised by ORF and Chatham House in Bangkok, there was a general consensus among participants that the emphasis should be given on raising awareness on the various hazardous impacts of the nuclear weapons explosion, especially in the nuclear weapons states.

Beginning March 26, 2015, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of countries, comprising nine other Arab countries, backed by the USA, France and UK, launched air strikes in Yemen against the Houthis and army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Nepal's Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi has been appointed the Head of the interim government. His main mandate is to hold elections for the CA. But 22 opposition political parties have begun their protest programmes against the new government, raising doubts whether polls can be held in June this year.

In the CJ impeachment case in Sri Lanka, the options for the Government are fewer, while for the Chief Justice, it is still worse - when it comes to enforcing Parliament's will on the one hand and the judiciary's decisions on the other.

Cost and time over-runs have reportedly led to losses of approximately Rs29,000 crore in the DRDO; some 10 projects have been delayed for over five years. The Armed Forces continue to be woefully short of modern weapon systems, ammunition and a vast range of critical equipment.

A research study by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has found that there is a clear danger to India from CBR (Chemical, Biological and Radiological Materials) terrorism due to the known intentions of terrorist groups active within India's borders.

The climate narrative is beginning to exert itself in the development processes of poor countries. The impact of climate negotiations, and green capitalism that is rearing its head, are some elements that will define climate and security for India and other developing countries.

The alchemists of capitalism have turned the sparse carbon into 'carbon real estate,' available for sale to the highest bidder. The weak and poor have been priced out. And at the G20, we have just offered to subsidise the rich to buy more.

The time has come for rapidly growing Asia to distinguish between the global, regional and national aspects of climate policy, recognise the linkages and shape the deliberations for the new climate regime by taking substantive measures at home.

Clinton's visit to southern India clearly underscores the increasing clout the region has, both economically and politically. No longer is there a sense that foreign policy is framed exclusively through a north Indian way of thinking. And Clinton discussed Sri Lanka with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

There is a periodic urge in the West to fix Iran. Syria and Iran had been listed on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list for decades even before September 11, 2001. In 2002, George Bush described Iran as a member of the 'Axis of Evil'. Despite all this, there were talks of negotiations.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal should take a leaf from the Republic Day chief guest, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, and profer the much-awaited #AAPnomics of job creation, a strategy on wealth distribution, and, a vision on efficiency. His genius will lie in these making sense to the poorest and the weakest - without forgetting global investors and our diaspora.

As the world comes closer in the wake of information explosion and gobalisation, the idea of ¿Cooperative Federalism¿, which is seen as a tool to resolve conflicts, is gaining increasing relevance and acceptance. Inspired by this development, a two-day International Conference on ¿Co-operative Federalism and Management of Diversity¿, has been organized from November 2-3, 2004, under the auspices of Observer research Foundation (ORF) , New Del

Governance of the energy sector in general and the coal sector in particular has to radically change if India wants to take advantage of its vast coal resources. It must be understood that coal is the only fuel that India has in abundance and it must be exploited to the fullest.

Coal companies can achieve a great deal if they strategise action plans to improve mine productivity, capital equipment utilisation, mine recovery ratio etc., to international standards. There is also urgent need for introducing more advanced technologies and modern management systems.

As the two codes of conduct on space - European Union's (EU) Code of Conduct (COC) on Space and the Stimson Code - are gaining momentum in the international arena, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) organised a roundtable on Thursday, May 26, 2011 to discuss India's concerns with these codes.

With Gaddafi around, there will be no peace in the Arab region. Africa will also be badly affected. That is why Gaddafi's Foreign and Interior Ministers and several Libyan Ambassadors deserted him. What high moral dictate or compelling necessity led to India's neutral stance in the vote on Security Council Resolution 1973?

The challenge for India is much larger than voting choices on the international resolutions on Syria. It is about finding effective ways to cope with the expanding Saudi-Iran rivalry, which is not limited to Syria.

Riyadh, Jerusalem, Washington, in that order of anxiety, must be in a huddle on the change in Tunisia and chill winds blowing across Egypt, Yemen and Jordan. The State Department has issued a warning that must send shock waves throughout the Arabian peninsula "status quo in the Middle East and North Africa is not sustainable".

Civil wars are drawn-out conflicts, often lasting up to a decade or even longer before a political settlement is reached. Pakistan's military campaign against Pashtun militants, variously allied to the Afghan Taliban, the al-Qaeda, and often fighting for localised interests has stretched into its 12th year.

Even before 9/11, many commissions had been appointed by different Governments to study the threat posed by terrorism and many seminars, conferences and workshops organised by different think-tanks on the subject. In the US alone, there were three high-powered commissions on the threat posed by terrorism. All this could not prevent 9/11.

A two-day deliberations by 20 experts from India, China and U.K, have underlined the need for a collective regional action to ensure environmental security in South Asia. The meeting was organised by Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with Royal United Services Institute, London and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing.

Address by Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister, at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, on November 3, 2011 on Colombia's Agenda for Domestic Prosperity.

The UPA's policy failures on Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have generated much bemoaning in Delhi's national security establishment about the breakdown of the rules of the republic that made the conduct of foreign policy the sole responsibility of the Centre. A closer look reveals that it is not the states that are exercising a veto over foreign policy decisions.

My revered teacher late professor Matin Zuberi had once remarked that major states in global affairs, real or aspiring, end up possessing superfluous arsenals often times through superficially planned and mostly ad hoc manners.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed most economies into recession and heightened inequalities within and across countries. Mitigating current challenges requires greater solidarity, innovative thinking, and more effective international development cooperation. This paper makes a case for triangular cooperation as an instrument of development cooperation in current times. It outlines its advantages, examines the challenges involved in such partnerships,

The year 2015 marks an important date in international history - the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is also the 50th anniversary of normalisation of relations between South Korea and Japan. And, it is a chance that both Japan and South Korea should grab with an aim to re-normalise their relations.

It is commonly recognised in Jerusalem, and elsewhere that the Likud PM, Mr. Benjamin Netaniyahu, nurses an adversarial chemistry with the US President. He went ahead with Jewish settlements in a most insulting reception to US Vice President, Joe Biden.

The foreign minister said the boundary issue between the two countries has not prevented mutually beneficial and functional cooperation in a number of areas

Senior Supreme Court lawyer and ORF trustee Lalit Bhasin moots a comprehensive law to replace the obsolete Aircraft Act of 1934

The Centre could start well with the creation of an independent 'fisheries ministry'. In the emerging situation, such a ministry may have to comprehensively address all issues of maritime concerns and interests.

Participants from India and the United States shared their respective viewpoints on the political, economic, and security environment to identify areas of mutual interest in East Asia. The discussion focused on identifying current and future challenges & opportunities in the bilateral relationship

THE United Nations Security Council (UNSC) achieved the almost impossible recently by adopting a unanimous resolution on providing access to humanitarian aid to Syria, breaking a deadlock that pitted Russia and China against the Western powers.

It is usually only the politically naive who are optimistic about the future of India's relations with Pakistan. The terms "enduring rivalry", "protracted discord" and "communal conflict in armour" have become part of the global political vocabulary because of the depressing saga of India-Pakistan ties.

The intersecting impacts of COVID-19 and climate change are compounding the vulnerabilities of coastal communities.  This paper examines the disastrous effects of cyclone Amphan in the Bengal delta region of the Indian Sundarbans amidst a countrywide lockdown triggered by the pandemic, and their cascading consequences for a rural community inhabiting this climate hotspot. It highlights the livelihood crisis experienced by internal rural-urban mi

It is sad that caught unawares, the nation is finding new ways to explain away the current puzzle that Jammu and Kashmir once again has become. Issues such as 'trust deficit' and 'governance deficit',

India has almost blinked to the King of Nepal on the question of arms supply. These supplies were put on hold on February 1, 2005, following King Gyanendra¿s coup against the democratic system and leadership.

The depth of the Congress's problems is evident from the party's inability to come to grips with the problem of party leadership. For structural reasons -- primarily the fact that it is a proprietorial entity -- this is the most critical problem for the party. This was evident from the reactions to P. Chidambaram's remark that a "non-Gandhi" could "someday" become president of the party.

The Congress' brain storming session at Jaipur seemed to suggest that the party is now in a mood to take big risks in the months ahead. The diesel price hike clearly was the most risky one, politically speaking.

India's Northeast remains disconnected from the rest of the country. This disconnect is not just in the geographical realm, but also at the level of the superstructure. With the advent of newer forms of communication, many research organisations or think tanks have come up to to study the eight States in the region.

The discussion on "Forthcoming Presidential Election" in India saw crucial issues impacting the election of the next Indian President being analysed and debated